From Away

New citizens from around the world take the Oath of Allegiance during a naturalization ceremony in Portland in April 2016.Jill Brady/Staff Photographer

New citizens from around the world take the Oath of Allegiance during a naturalization ceremony in Portland in April 2016. Jill Brady/Staff Photographer

Behind the Immigration Debate:Human Stories

Mwange Mulonda, a 20-year-old native of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, is shown moments after being sworn in as a naturalized citizen in Portland in March 2016. Derek Davis/Staff Photographer

Immigration brought us together, and it tears us apart.

It is the foundation of our state and our country, a timeless process of people moving from one part of the world to another.

It also is the spark of angry protests, a wedge that divides families and neighbors, the heat of fiery political rallies and the focus of legislative clashes in Maine and nationwide.

Here are the stories of 12 people who came to Maine from away.

Some are permanent immigrants, such as a refugee who escaped civil war and an undocumented teenager who dreams of becoming a nurse. Others are temporary residents, such as a migrant apple picker and an international student hoping to go to an Ivy League college. Each followed a different path from a faraway homeland through America’s maze of immigration rules.

Their journeys reveal a vast and complex immigration system. And their stories show the diversity of the people behind the great American debate.

Where We Came From

How do Mainers identify their ancestry?

While most Mainers were born here, their ancestors came from all over the world. Mouse over the bubbles in the map below to view estimates of how many Mainers claim ancestry from different regions of the globe.